The following is a quick guide for the Random Maps in 0 A.D. It is an evolving document, based on constant input from scripters and others.

Purpose: To assist scripters in designing and coding the Random Map Scripts (RMSs) for the game. To provide a semblance of unity in the RMS design, even though the RMSs for the game will be scripted by multiple people.

Planned Random Maps

Note: The graphics for these were made many years ago in the Age of Mythology scenario editor. The map description were likewise written years ago, before many changes in the game design. Disregard any mentioning of "settlements" as they have been scrapped from the design in favor of the existing dynamic territory design (this thread is not the place to discuss this change). Also, mention of "seasons" is problematic. This guide will continue to evolve as the game evolves.

Region:This map replicates the deserts of the Sahara or Arabia and to some extent the Iranian plain.

Characteristics:

A dry terrain map where it only rains in cloudbursts during the summertime and then only occasionally, or if locationally near the Nile delta very occasionally receive some light rains that blows in from the north during winter.

It may be wide open with sparse clumps of palms primarily clustered about infrequent oasis type small lakes, marshes, muddy watering holes, or ponds, or strung along infrequent watercourses or in the mouths of canyons.

Can have canyons and craggy rather barren 'peaks' spotted about.

Sandy terrain is a major characteristic with some areas of dunes being evident.

Desert is not well endowed with food or wood but is very well endowed with stone and metal.

If it is scripted to have lots of canyons and cliffs on it, it is a highly defensible map; if not it is more wide open to attack than any other but Steppe and a very open Savannah.

Desert may be either a land map or a water map with river crossing or seas adjacent to the land.

Resource Distribution:

Scale from 1 (low) to 5 (high)

Food:

--Berries: 1

--Animals: 1

Wood: 2

Stone: 5

Metal: 5

Treasures: 2

Flora Objects (Trees and Plants):

Date Palm

Senegal Date Palm

Pistachio

Pomegranate

Dead Palm

Dead Conifer

Dead Deciduous

Fauna Objects (Animals):

Crocodile

Lion

Bear

Cheetah

Gazelle

Hippopotamus (African Desert maps only)

Partridge

Rabbit

Chicken

Ostrich

Oryx

Goat

Sheep

Horse

Camel

Hawk

Vulture

Eagle

Desert Land types:

Neareastern Badlands

The map is characterised by being a jumbled maze of cliffs, canyons, rugged and barren mountains and passages going every which way.

It is probably the most defensible map in the regular game.

Civ Territories are divided proportionately to terrain on the map.

Saharan Oases

Each civ's starting Civ Centres and settlements are positioned near an oasis spotted about an otherwise bleak and sandy desert that is wide-open to assault and depredation.

Along with Steppe Anatolian Plateau, they are the 'fastest' maps in the regular game.

Civ Territories are divided proportionately to terrain on the map.

Median Oasis

This map is a knock-off from the Oasis map in AoK or AoM, but with a few unique features.

Civ Territories are divided by terrain features, principally cliffs and rugged vegetationally denuded highlands with passages through them, arranged like the spokes of a wheel around a large desert oasis.

The map is fairly defensible and can be walled-in early on, though continued wood harvesting on a narrowed front may necessitate expanding them.

Starting territorial Civ Centres are toward the centre where the land is generally better endowed with resources requisite to development.

Settlements are 'outback' amongst somewhat rugged lands with the requisite resources to barely support each province-being quite short on wood and animals.

Resource locations are imbalanced, with the balance of animal life and wood resource being weighted toward the central oasis while the balance of stone and metal resources are weighted to the outback provinces.

Characterised by 2 rivers running from the head of the Persian Gulf northward.

They then meander apart and then towards one another again approximately parallel to one another, dividing the map into 3 approximately equal parts.

Marshy near the end of the gulf where the 2 rivers come together with some shallows crossings, permitting access to either of the 3 landmasses.

Civs divided to either side of the rivers with the land between the rivers leaving a 'no man's land' initially belonging to no one.

There can also be a few otherwise barren but metal-rich islands near the head of the Persian Gulf that are 'there for the taking' not being an integral part of any civ territory.

Syria

A plains and slightly rolling highlands map.

Randomly may or may not have a river with shallows running through it (if it doesn't, is a less defensible and faster map).

Sort of a cross between Arabia and Highland maps in AoK.

Well balanced in provincial resourcing in accordance with the overall specification for this map category.

Civ Territories are divided proportionately on the map.

Desert Water types:

Nile Delta

The visual aspect of this map is that of a river entering from the bottom southern end of the map flowing northward expanding from the wrist into 5 fingers of the hand, thus dividing the land area on the map into 6 approximately equal parts (for as many as 6 Civ Territories).

The end of the delta opens onto the Mediterranean Sea at the northern top edge of the map.

There is a shallows crossing the Nile at the 'wrist' and another between each land segment further 'downriver'

The map is reasonably defensible at crossings but also highly navigable and civ territories are subject to invasion across waterways.

Crocodiles can occasionally be a hazard to hominid units on this map at fresh water shallows crossings or immediately adjacent to river banks.

There are no marshlands in the delta so this map is highly amenable to farming.

Civ Territories divided amongst the 'fingers' of the map proportionately to the number of players.

Nile River

Characterized as a water map only because the river is broad and in this case cannot be crossed by shallows, putting civs on either side of it at some disadvantage.

If co-located to side with enemies, the only allied help that can come would have to transport across the river

A good map for 3v3 teaming together or a good one for 1v1 initially defensive because of the breadth of the river.

The river as the staff of life enters the map from the south falling over an impassable cataract waterfall (the 1st Cataract) then flows on northward to approximately where it would begin dividing in the delta but in this case terminates at the edge of the map.

Crocodiles can occasionally be a hazard to hominid immediately adjacent to river banks.

As is the case for oases type maps, animal and wood bearing resources as well as farmable land are imbalanced toward the waterside, diminishing away from it while the converse is true for mineral resources.

Civ Territories are divided proportionately along either side of the river (this map won't play for 3-player).

Starting Civ Centres are most likely to fall closer to the river than away from it with settlements out somewhat beyond.

Fertile Crescent

Essentially the same map as Cradle of Civilisation except that numerous canals branch off of the two rivers running in roughly parallel stems 'downriver' bringing even more land into that which is highly desirable for farming (pushing the desert frontier back further away from the rivers).

Sometimes they reconnect with the river of watersource and sometimes not (though none connect the two rivers directly).

Though the main rivers are broad enough to support any ships manoeuver the canals are narrow and only support the passage of the smallest ships, e.g., merchantman and bireme.

Some shallows permit crossing of the canals in places but there are no shallows on the main rivers themselves necessitating water transport over them.

Shallows do also exist crossing the marshlands at the lower portion of the map just at where the 2 rivers come together to open onto the northern end of the Persian Gulf.

There can also be a few otherwise barren but metal-rich islands near the head of the Persian Gulf that are 'there for the taking' not being an integral part of any civ territory.

Civs territorially divided appropriately to the map on either side of and/or between the main river courses.

Runs the gamut from semi-tropical with palms and broad-headed pines at the lower elevation ...

To fairly high mountains with pine, cypress, fir and oaks of all classes inbetween, palms and pine at low-level along the littoral.

Though not heavily forested, has the broadest range of topography and resources on it.

Not as wet as Temperature.

Never snows except on the top of the highest peaks.

Precipitation is predominant and fairly frequent but light during winter except for very occasional periods when it may gloomily rain for several days on end saturating the terrain, rare in early spring and late autumn and non-existent during summer.

Long dry summers.

Typically good for either attack or defense because of the mix of terrains regardless of type.

Either a land map or a water map.

Excellent for islands or archipelago map types.

Mediterranean is the most versatile of the map categories and well balanced resource-wise.

Resource Distribution:Scale from 1 (low) to 5 (high)

Food:

--Berries: 4

--Animals: 3

Wood: 3

Stone: 4

Metal: 4

Treasures: 3

Flora Objects (Trees and Plants):

Mediterranean Fan Palm

Cretan Date Palm

Aleppo Pine

Atlantic Cedar

Cedar of Lebanon (Levant map only)

Italian Cypress

Maritime Pine

Nordmann Fir

Carob

Holly Oak

Oleander

Olive

Citron

Common Oak

European Beech

Fig

Lombardy Poplar

Grape

Dead Conifer

Dead Deciduous

Fauna Objects (Animals):

Lion

Shark

Wolf

Auroch Bull

Bear

Boar

Whale

Deer

Pheasant

Rabbit

Auroch Cow

Chicken

Goat

Pig

Sheep

Horse

North African Elephant (African maps only)

Syrian Elephant (Levant map only)

Egret

Fish

Eagle

Goose

Hawk

Porpoise

Gull

Vulture

Mediterranean Land types:

Andalucia

Characterised as the Guadalquivir River and Valley meandering northeast to southwest on the diagonal across the map to its outlet on the Atlantic near Cadiz (Gades).

Significant marshland to either side of the river delta, and island just off of the coast of the delta (site of Gades).

Mountains to both sides of the fairly broad river valley.

Main river navigable along its length.

Some shallows crossings of the river and over tributary streams (though tributaries may have rocky fords).

Some mountain valley and hilltop building spaces that are highly defensible while the river floodplain is basically flat and not very defensible.

Civs territorially divided along the southeast and northwest sides of the main river.

(an alternative as 3.4.1a. could be Cisalpine Gaul or the Po River Valley that would have the foothills of the Alps to the north and Appenines to the south while the delta opens out onto the Adriatic Sea to the east)

Mediterranean Water types:

Pillars of Hercules

Mediterranean landforms juxtaposed north and south to the Strait of Gibralter.

Massive mountains representing the gates.

Either the high Atlas to the South or the Sierra Nevada to the north.

Ranges backing up to the edges of the map behind the coastal plain.

Civs divided on either side of the strait as appropriate to the map.

Balearic Archipelago

Islands map constisting of 3 islands, the largest in the centre, on which player placement is randomised for all 3.

Highest elevation in the centre of the centre island more-or-less balancing exploitable/buildable area amongst all 3.

Civ Territories are divided proportionately to territory but may not be integral to a single island.

Cycladic Archipelago

Islands map constituted of many smallish islands in excess of the number of players, some of which can be volcanic.

All islands have some kinds of resources and may have a settlement if it doesn't already have a starting Civ Centre.

Civ Territories are divided proportionally on the map but are inclusive of more than one island.

Crete

Islands map with a longish very well resourced island oriented east-west on the lower half of the map and a number of scantily resourced 'cycladic' smaller islands arranged across the upper half of the map.

Some of the larger cyclads may be volcanic in one form or another (active and inactive).

The civs begin in the cyclads, each on its own small island with a starting Civ Centre, but then must emigrate to Crete to survive and expand.

This map is the classic Emigration map in the game, a combination of Standard .rms and Nomadic).

Peloponnesos

A quasi-continental type map.

Has two major land areas that are connected by only a very small narrow but barely navigable for passage by the largest of ships canal cutting through a 'land bridge' of no particular signifcance (unless it be towered-up) at about the centre of the map; the northerly one abuts the edge of the map while the southerly is surround by the sea and both are connected via shallows across the canal.

Many deep bay and inlet indentations about the periphery of its coastlines both north and south portions; some small islands off the various coasts.

Relatively mountainous with valleys extending inland from indentations and a few passes through the mountains.

Civ Territories divided around the coast of the peninsula principally by mountain ranges extending from the interior down to the coastal cliffs and promontories.

Central Mediterranean

Characterized by mediterranean landform landmasses to the north and the south sides of the map representing the boot of Italy and Tunisia/Carthago.

A large island rather triangularly shaped (base located on the east, apex to the west) located in the watermass between the two represents Sicily, having good defensible port locations geograpically at Syracuse, Messina, Palermo, and Motya/Lilybaeum (western tip).

Much of the central islands coastline consists of cliff with few beaches interspersed making it a difficult place for landings from ships (except around Catania on the east side north of Syracuse).

The central island always has an active volcanic mountain in its easternmost side (about centre near the coastline).

Few smallish streams accessing hinterlands.

Civ Territories divided on each land mass and island as appropriate to the map land proportions.

Civ Territories are divided north and south of the isthmus as appropriate to the map but the isthmus itself is a no man's land belonging to none, and in this case the Corinthian canal doesn't exist.

Phoenician Levant

Characterised by Mediterranean landforms coastal-mountain-valleys arranged on the north-south axis on the right portion of the map.

Represents the land-bridge crossroads of Israel, Lebanon, Syria between Egypt to the south and the Fertile Crescent and Anatolia to the northeast and north.

Off the coast to the west is a fairly good sized island (eastern portion of) representing Cyprus which is initially uninhabited but well resourced especially in metal (was a tradtional source of copper--so it may be fought over).

The Civ Territories are arranged in a north-south tier divided proportionally on the eastern landmass, the Levant, with starting Civ Centres placed at coastal 'port' locations within.

Latium

Representative of the central section of Italy

The land runs north-south divided by a central range, the Appenines, with seacoasts on either side.

Similar to RF_Gandalf's 2 Seas' map for AoK.

This map is typical of central Italian typography, flora & fauna, and must always have an active volcano come up in the southwestern land quadrant not far from where the port of 'Naples' would be.

Has a few small islands off either east or west coast in the sea.

Civ Territories are divided by the Appenine spine to either side and proportionately north-south, and there are few narrow passes through the mountains connecting the sides.

Polar is a tough map to play, characterised by ubiquitous ice and snow, with some bits or passages of open water only during summer.

If seasons enabled, snow 'melts' in patches on land during a relatively brief summer.

If seasons are not enabled, it remains icebound all year.

If seasons are enabled, when the ice freezes up any ships on the water are frozen in place until the following summer thaw.

The weather is often bad, with blowing snow decreasing visibility except in summer; as the arctic is actually arid it never rains in summer.

Topographically it can have both hills and cliffs on land and pressure ridges in the ice over water (that bar passage on the ice).

Note that Polar biome maps are limited to elevation height of mid-level and below.

There is virtually no forest on this map and that only very sparse conifer such as small fir or deciduous larch, usually snow covered--so Wood must soon be purchased at the Trade Centre.

It is well enough populated by polar bear, seal and walrus on or near the beach during Summer or resting or moving about atop frozen sea surface and ice islands or floes during Winter, and caribou/reindeer on land in occasional herds at any time of the year.

Polar Bears can definitely be a hazard to hominid units on this map.

Stone and metal can be found in a normal quantity on the map except that metal can only be found in seams on exposed slope faces; mining or quarrying of any resource stops during winter as the weather is just 'too bad'.

Spring, summer and autumn are short seasons on this map, it is winter half of the time.

This is a watermap in its northern extremities, though it is only marginally navigable in places for part of the year after the ice breaks up and before it 'sets in' again.

An inter-zonal map between better watered mountain and desert or desert and tropic

A map characterised by broadly spaced clumps of trees which are a mixture of oaken-leafed evergreen, deciduous baobab, palm type trees and scrub type plants

Typically a rather flat plane map having an occasional hummock rises here and there.

Relatively open but does have occasional 'strag' trees and rocky outcrops here and there.

Note that Savanna biome maps are limited to elevation heights of mid-level and below, low-level.

Rains are predominantly and frequently heavy in summer but never snows, dry 'winter' season.

Savanna has very little water on it though it may have an occasional lake, stream, or river and dry sandy or muddy lakebeds with water holes; streams may run for wahile and then empty into shallow marshy lake having no outlet to the sea in some cases.

It is very green during the rainy season and for awhile thereafter (Autumn) but rather sere at other times of the year.

It is well endowed with animals including dangerous ones.

Somewhat light on forest and stone but good for metal.

Defensively or agressively the map may be fairly well balanced to open to aggression.

Resource Distribution:Scale from 1 (low) to 5 (high)

Food:

--Berries: 4

--Animals: 5

Wood: 2

Stone: 4

Metal: 3

Treasures: 3

Flora Objects (Trees and Plants):

Senegal Date Palm

Acacia

Baobab

Fig

Dead Date Palm

Dead Deciduous

Fauna Objects (Animals):

Crocodile

Hyena

Lion

Boar

Cheetah

Hippopotamus

Oryx

Water Buffalo

Wildebeest

Zebra

Gazelle

Antelope

Partridge

Rabbit

Chicken

Ostrich

Goat

Pig

Horse

African Elephant

Fish

Flamingo

Eagle

Hawk

Parrot

Gull

Vulture

Savanna Land types:

Sahel

Situated southside of the Atlas mountain range in North Africa.

Is a somewhat open map having almost all of the characteristics stated above except for having no river of significant size.

Civ Territories are divided as appropriate to the map.

Savanna Water Types:

Watering Holes

Essentially the same map as the Age of Mythology map of the same name.

Characterized by jungle with lots of forests and and usually open clearings/passage ways.

Has an abundance of animal life on it, including dangerous ones.

Abundantly endowed with wood, but except in one case, Paradise Lost, it is always a surprise as to how well endowed the tropic map will be with either stone or metal.

Except for rain forest types that are always wet or have rainfall at any season, is characterised weather-wise as having only 2 seasons in the year, "summer" as the dry one and "winter" as the rainy one, divided equally.

Resource Distribution:Scale from 1 (low) to 5 (high)

Food:

--Berries: 5

--Animals: 4

Wood: 5

Stone: 2

Metal: 1

Treasures: 4

Flora Objects (Trees and Plants):

Queen Sago Palm

Senegal Date Palm

African Tulip

Bird of Paradise

Tamarind

Curry (Punjab)

Coral

Dead Palm

Dead Deciduous

Fauna Objects (Animals):

Generic Tropic Animals

Crocodile

Hyena

Leopard

Lion

Rhinoceros

Water Buffalo

Fish

Shark

Parrot

Porpoise

Gull

Vulture

Flamingo

Hawk

African Tropic Animals

Cheetah

Hippopotamus

North African Forest Elephant

Wildebeest

Gazelle

Gorilla

Baboon

Albatross

Indian Tropic Animals

Asian Elephant

Gharial

Rhesus Macaque

Tiger

Peafowl (Peacock and Peahen)

Tropic Land types:

Punjab

Represents Northwest India, the upper Indus valley.

May or may not have 1 or more broad, muddy rivers, complete with small numbers of fish.

We can discuss the basic designs of these maps here. I figured since people are starting design random maps for the game that we should lay some general guidelines for the maps for consistency's sake. I will update this guide as we go along. I'll also add more biomes soon.

However, I feel it's kind of obsolete. We can discuss how to streamline the list of maps or what we need to do to make them more unique from each other. I have made some example maps of a few on the list using the Atlas editor. They can be seen in the game or Atlas. Most of the others have examples I made in the AOM editor many years ago.

This is very good except that we lack proper flora/fauna for steppe/tropic/polar maps. I wanted to create a steppe biome but I couldn't find any associated trees. Also there aren't proper "big" mines for alpine and polar maps. I want to create the Anatolian Plateau next but I don't know what trees to use.

This is very good except that we lack proper flora/fauna for steppe/tropic/polar maps. I wanted to create a steppe biome but I couldn't find any associated trees. Also there aren't proper "big" mines for alpine and polar maps. I want to create the Anatolian Plateau next but I don't know what trees to use.

Yup. We need a lot more biome-specific gaia objects. Trees, animals, and geology.

I'll add an animal guide to this guide as well. All of this will rely heavily on work done years ago by the venerable Ken Woods (RIP).

Thanks Michael for working on this guide, and thanks everyone who's working on the random map scripts, really nice to see how we might actually be able to get to the number of maps originally envisioned

By the way, there's a problem with Ardennes forest as it's spec'd. The game will crash if there's too many trees, due to running out of memory, even with less than shown in your example map. It's not really possible to make a large obstruction only out of trees, at least not currently. I suppose actors could be used instead of tree entities, but the problem then is they have no obstruction, so it's only for visual effects. Also rendering trees is terrible for performance. Those are the biggest obstacles to an AoK-style "black forest" map in 0 A.D. The same goes for any other map with dense clusters of trees.

By the way, there's a problem with Ardennes forest as it's spec'd. The game will crash if there's too many trees, due to running out of memory, even with less than shown in your example map. It's not really possible to make a large obstruction only out of trees, at least not currently. I suppose actors could be used instead of tree entities, but the problem then is they have no obstruction, so it's only for visual effects. Also rendering trees is terrible for performance. Those are the biggest obstacles to an AoK-style "black forest" map in 0 A.D. The same goes for any other map with dense clusters of trees.

Yes, this was the problem I was having with my map. I ended up placing tree actors on hills / cliffs so the player could not get to them. It is a shame trees don't block more tiles of the map as this would make it easier to use them to make an obstruction - at the moment you have to place many clumped together to reduce passageways for units.

I'm thinking we need a random map for India. Any thoughts? Perhaps "Punjab" or "Hydaspes." If so, then we'll need to decide on a few flora and fauna species. Asian/Indian Elephant and Tiger for sure. Not sure about trees.

I had a go at the peacock. This is my first low poly model and also my first organic model so if it is too rubbish for you to want please don't worry, I just made it because i thought ti would be fun to learn some more blender. It is 170 polys which is quite a lot for a small bird. Now to find out how to UV map .

Edit: Forgot to mention, this is actually a modified chicken, it seemed easier than a blank slate.

Edit 2: Produced a rough UV map. Then I looked at the chickens texture because I wanted to copy the legs and discovered that a 1024x1024 texture might be a little on the large size. Anyway here is a nice pic. I am not sure small you could get it with a simple scale, or if it would need completely remapping with a new texture. I used a CC picture from the wikipedia article.